Best Rye Whiskey Brands to Sip Straight or Spice Up a Sazerac, Manhattan, or Old Fashioned
When it comes to whiskey, Scotch, Japanese whisky, and Irish whiskey are in the midst of a heyday. And if we're talkin' American whiskey, bourbon hogs much of the spotlight. But that all-popular, corn-based spirit has an older, spicier sister that’s at the root of several classic cocktails, and deserving of all the renewed attention it’s been getting lately. I'm talking about the best rye whiskey, which predates bourbon by at least a few decades, according to most accounts, and was once the preeminent spirit of America.
Today, the best rye whiskey has come soaring back into renaissance mode—led by a huge resurgence of rye whiskey cocktails, including the Sazerac, Manhattan, and old fashioned. For many, mixed drinks are the gateway to discovery. Margaritas have paved the way for tequila and mezcal, just as martinis have let vodka and gin shine, and we'd be remiss to forget about Dark 'n Stormys for dark rum.
For the 2023 Men's Journal Spirits Awards, I've awarded the 16 best rye whiskey brands that will appeal to every type of whiskey fan. My Best Overall pick is Knob Creek Rye, which recently had a seven-year age statement added to its label. Knob Creek is an affordable and dependable favorite that can stand with the best rye whiskeys, including Templeton Rye, Angel’s Envy Rye, and Bulleit Rye.
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Related: The 15 Best Scotch Whiskies According to Experts
Why You Should Trust Us
I've written about spirits for numerous publications for nearly a decade. During this time, I've sampled thousands of bottles in every category of spirits, visited distilleries around the world to see how the juice is made, and honed my palate and nose. I also judge two spirits competitions, the John Barleycorn Awards and the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, for which I blind taste hundreds of spirits to determine what stands out based on flavor, mouthfeel, color, and aroma.
To make this list of the best rye whiskey, I sampled most of these products and talked to bartenders and industry experts, who have long track records in the spirits industry and unique interests in rye whiskey.
What We Look for When Choosing the Best Rye Whiskey
The most important factor we considered when selecting the rye whiskeys for this list was flavor. Regardless of hype or availability, the whiskey has to taste good to make the cut. Price is a factor as well, so we tried to pick bottles that are relatively affordable and available. Of course, that doesn't rule out a tasty-but-expensive, limited-edition rye whiskey, and there are indeed a few of those. Overall, quality is the key thing we considered, as far as value and flavor.
Best Overall Rye Whiskey: Knob Creek Rye
Knob Creek is part of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, which also includes Baker’s, Booker’s, and Basil Hayden. While the brand has some great bourbons in its lineup, Knob Creek Rye is truly some of the best rye whiskey you can find. Made in the Kentucky style, it contains slightly over the legally required 51 percent rye grain in its mashbill, with a seven-year age statement recently added to the bottle. Expect a slightly sweet and well-aged rye with notes of spice and dried fruit, making this a versatile, affordable rye whiskey should be a staple in any home bar. At 100 proof, it’s plenty strong to use in rye whiskey cocktails.
Best Single-Barrel Rye Whiskey: Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Rye
Michter's is unique in that its flagship rye whiskey is a single barrel expression, meaning that the whiskey in the bottle comes from just one barrel instead of a blend of several. Michter’s Rye is a consistent and well-crafted whiskey with notes of spice, salted caramel, butterscotch, and grass on the palate, says Jarrett Karlsbeg, beverage director at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, NY. “It’s very smooth, but still has a nice bite to it—and it’s an absolute dream to mix with,” he adds. Mike Vacheresse, owner of Travel Bar in Brooklyn, NY, is also a fan: “The whiskey enters the barrel at 103 proof instead of the industry standard of 125 proof—and the barrels are toasted before being charred,” he says. “These two factors create a rye whiskey that's robust and full-bodied.”
Best Budget Rye Whiskey: Old Overholt
Old Overholt is another Jim Beam brand, but one that sits comfortably in the lower end of the price spectrum without sacrificing quality. This budget rye whiskey has been a favorite of bartenders for a long time, and over the past few years the brand has gotten some significant upgrades. The core expression is now a four-year-old, 86-proof rye. There’s a bottled-in-bond version with a higher 100 proof, and the brand has recently unveiled a spectacular cask-strength, 10-year-old expression. But for a high-quality budget rye whiskey, stick with the original.
Best Rye Whiskey Splurge: Blue Run Emerald Rye
Blue Run has been a runaway success story since its founding a few years ago, with releases selling out as fast as they’re announced. Bourbon Hall of Famer Jim Rutledge is the “liquid advisor” for the brand, and he's been an integral part of the brand's superb rye whiskeys. Blue Run Emerald Rye was contract distilled at Kentucky’s Castle & Key in Lexington, and is a blend of less than 200 barrels. At $120 per bottle, this rye whiskey is steeper than most, but savvy rye fans won’t be batting an eye.
Best Craft Rye Whiskey: Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye
Most of the rye whiskey produced in Indiana comes from MGP, the factory-like distillery where brands like Bulleit and Dickel source their rye. While MGP’s 95 percent rye whiskey is worthy of its reputation, a far smaller craft operation in the Hoosier state is offering some stiff competition. Hard Truth makes fantastic rye whiskey, and its Sweet Mash Rye expression exemplifies what they’re up to. “Sweet mash” means that each distillation begins fresh, as opposed to the sour mash process used by most distilleries where some of the mash from the previous distillation is left in the still. The mashbill is 94 percent rye and six percent malted barley, and while the whiskey is relatively young (under four years old), it tastes surprisingly mature. A series of new cask-finished rye whiskeys from Hard Truth are now available as well.
Best Cask-Finished Rye Whiskey: High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 11
Utah’s High West Distillery, among the best distilleries in the U.S., sources from other distilleries and distills its own whiskey, with a focus on rye. The annual release of A Midwinter Night’s Dram is a cult favorite; the cask-finished rye whiskey changes slightly with each release. This year’s Act 11 is a blend of MGP and in-house distilled rye finished in ruby and tawny port barrels and bottled at 98.6 proof. That cask finish does wonders to the rye, adding layers of dried fruit, caramel, spice, and citrus to the spicy base whiskey. “There’s a nice mix of spice and sweetness from the port barrels in which this is finished,” says Dan Rivas, director of food and beverage for Bank & Bourbon at Loews Philadelphia Hotel. “Notes of black currant and plum are coupled with anise and cinnamon.”
Best Cask-Strength Rye Whiskey: Barrell Rye
Barrell Craft Spirits is a Louisville-based company that sources whiskey from different states and countries, then blends them into something greater than the sum of their parts. Nearly every release is bottled at cask strength, including Barrell Rye, which is released in batches, like the flagship bourbon. Batch 4 is the latest, a blend of rye whiskey from Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Canada that was aged between five and 14 years. The whiskey was bottled at 115.7 proof, which is high but not overwhelming. Add some water if you prefer to proof it down, but try it neat first to truly experience the character of this powerful rye whiskey.
Best Rye Whiskey to Drink Straight: Widow Jane Paradigm Rye
Widow Jane is a Brooklyn distillery that sources much of its whiskey from distilleries in Indiana and Kentucky. It also produces a small amount of whiskey in-house, and for this release distillers have combined both sources into one product. The rye whiskey distilled in Brooklyn is on the younger side, but is blended with more mature whiskey from the aforementioned states. “This is a unique rye that features citrus and floral notes as well as classic spicy rye qualities—along with accents of toffee, fresh cut herbs, and tropical fruits,” says Sean Ludford, TAG Global Spirit Awards' executive director. At 93 proof, this is a complex rye that works wonders in a cocktail, but deserves to be sipped neat or over a single large ice cube.
Related: 20 Best Bourbons for an Old Fashioned, Tasted and Reviewed
More Rye Whiskeys We Love
Bourbon vs Rye: What Is Rye Whiskey?
Rye whiskey can be made anywhere in the world, but American rye must follow certain guidelines. While bourbon must be made from a mashbill of 51 percent corn, rye whiskey must be made from at least 51 percent rye grain, with the rest usually being a mixture of corn and malted barley. There are many rye whiskeys that are made from 95- to 100-percent rye, which tend to have an even spicier kick. Rye whiskey must be aged in new charred oak containers (virtually always barrels), and there’s no minimum age requirement unless it’s labeled as straight rye whiskey—in which case no color or flavor is allowed to be added. Rye must be distilled to no more than 160 proof, barreled at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof.
How Is Rye Whiskey Made?
Rye’s origins date back to 18th-century Pennsylvania farmers who needed to find something useful (and profitable) to do with all that excess rye grain. Distilling it, they knew, was a great way to preserve it—and the rest is rye whiskey-producing history. Countless distilleries in the original rye hotbeds of Pennsylvania and Maryland would come to saturate the country's original whiskey market, and rye would continue to lead the pack until Prohibition. When the Volstead Act was repealed, its sales slowly waned in favor of bourbon. By the early 2000s, there were only a handful of rye brands left.
Rye whiskey is made by milling the grains, adding water, and cooking the mash. Yeast is then added so the liquid can ferment in large vats, during which sugars turn into alcohol. This low-ABV “beer” is then distilled in either pot or column stills, resulting in a high-proof, clear spirit that's then set in barrels to mature and pick up flavor and color from the wood. Rye whiskey tends to have a spicier, dryer flavor profile than bourbon, which is why it’s the core component of classic whiskey cocktails, like the Manhattan, Sazerac, and old fashioned.
